Nature (God, if you will) created insanely-complex biology that, to an astonishing extent, is shared by ALL life on Earth (even plants make melatonin and other important molecules that humans rely on, for instance). Humans are only alive because plants and other animals make vitamin C, for another example; our gene for creating C from cholesterol is defective, and without C, you die of scurvy.
This shared biological heritage -- which means that we are all, LITERALLY, family, when you take the long view -- includes emotions (which are whole-body biological states, not just "thoughts" in the brain). Empathy is only possible because of this; when you see another person or an animal suffering, your brain and body process the experience with the same circuits, pathways, neurochemicals, and so on with which it processes your OWN suffering. You empathize with others (unless you are emotionally shut down) because their expression of feeling causes a feeling in you.
Again, computers don't have that.
Computers are psychopathic, in the sense that they lack a way to experience human emotion, empathically or otherwise.
Computers have other problems that make them dangerous as well, but the lack of genuine empathy (and of love, which is closely associated) is one that seems almost entirely overlooked.
But keep in mind that whether they have it or not computers have it, they can mimic it incredibly well. In fact, in survey after survey, AI always wins out in appearing more empathetic than actual humans.
So the reality is, you can't use that as a metric against which to measure a computer, because humans can't tell the difference. Just one of hundreds of tests supporting this:
If there is eventually a way to unambiguously distinguish between a human and AI, it will involve some kind of intuition or telepathy which we don't currently realize that we possess. It won't arise from mere empathy, which can be faked.
And yes, psychopaths can fake empathy too. Comes from years of practice and acting.
EMPATHY and LOVE come from HUMAN BIOLOGY.
Computers don't have that.
Nature (God, if you will) created insanely-complex biology that, to an astonishing extent, is shared by ALL life on Earth (even plants make melatonin and other important molecules that humans rely on, for instance). Humans are only alive because plants and other animals make vitamin C, for another example; our gene for creating C from cholesterol is defective, and without C, you die of scurvy.
This shared biological heritage -- which means that we are all, LITERALLY, family, when you take the long view -- includes emotions (which are whole-body biological states, not just "thoughts" in the brain). Empathy is only possible because of this; when you see another person or an animal suffering, your brain and body process the experience with the same circuits, pathways, neurochemicals, and so on with which it processes your OWN suffering. You empathize with others (unless you are emotionally shut down) because their expression of feeling causes a feeling in you.
Again, computers don't have that.
Computers are psychopathic, in the sense that they lack a way to experience human emotion, empathically or otherwise.
Computers have other problems that make them dangerous as well, but the lack of genuine empathy (and of love, which is closely associated) is one that seems almost entirely overlooked.
But keep in mind that whether they have it or not computers have it, they can mimic it incredibly well. In fact, in survey after survey, AI always wins out in appearing more empathetic than actual humans.
So the reality is, you can't use that as a metric against which to measure a computer, because humans can't tell the difference. Just one of hundreds of tests supporting this:
https://x.com/emollick/status/1728412756825735477?t=QwEShgQFwFyajFe21Cu1ZA&s=06
If there is eventually a way to unambiguously distinguish between a human and AI, it will involve some kind of intuition or telepathy which we don't currently realize that we possess. It won't arise from mere empathy, which can be faked.
And yes, psychopaths can fake empathy too. Comes from years of practice and acting.